CAMP Spirit

In a postmodern world it often seems that religion and spirituality are passé. Go to church? How uncool! Read scripture? Puleeze! Pray? Who knows if it does any good? The queer community has good reason to feel disenchanted by traditional religion, for most churches have disenfranchised GLBT people—or at least "out" ones. Even allegedly welcoming congregations turn out to be so only on a case-by-case basis, since this welcoming and affirming attitude generally evaporates outside of a particular locale and does not apply to the denomination as a whole. So a person of rainbow sensibilities must either have selective hearing and tunnel vision or leave organized religion behind. These are the folks who in blasé fashion claim to have outgrown religion and grown beyond God.

But, as I’ve said before, why must we abdicate faith issues and surrender them to the Religious (un)Right? Why must we sit back and allow the rallying cry of "moral values" to be used against us? How can we in good conscious approve, by our silence and inactivity, the campaign of fear that won the recent presidential election? The person who prevailed in the red states did so by putting them on red alert that gay marriage was about to destroy the country and its Christian-based values. I would submit that if more GLBT people were not in the closet about their morality, their faith, and yes, their religious convictions, we would see a difference. Well, folks, we have four years to turn things around!

Perhaps a good start is with Thanksgiving this week. I’ve heard Oprah Winfrey say on more than one occasion that if the only prayer you ever say is "thank you," that’s enough. A wonderful start to a new attitude is gratitude. Say "thank you" to the Divine this holiday, and extend that attitude into December. Make Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa a time of faithful appreciation of those who are dear and of renewed thanks to Spirit that we live in a country that honors religious pluralism. And as we head into 2005, let’s all make a New Year’s resolution to not be as complacent about the state of our souls—even if some say it’s uncool.

Happy Thanksgiving! Season’s Greetings! Happy New Year!